A Little Pain, A Little Gain

Konban Wa, Amigos!
(That's "Good evening, friends" in a cheery mix of Japanese and Spanish.)

We're so happy it's 2010! So many great things will happen this year, I can feel it. Hey, maybe Jesus will come...

Well, I guess Mark had to pay his dues before great things could happen to him this year! :) About three weeks ago, he got a pretty intense injury at work when a canopy crane smashed his finger. It fractured the bone and did quite a number on his skin, butI will spare you the gross pictures. Here's one of him afterward. It's healing slowly, but nicely in my opinion.



Besides a little pain, Mark and I are loving Oki. It has been pretty rainy and chilly this winter, but when the sun came out one lovely Sunday, we headed up north for the Nago Cherry Blossom Festival. There were Eisa dancers and beautiful cherry blossom trees blooming everywhere, followed by dinner at this little restaurant that my dear friend Jessica calls "Pizza in the Sky". It sits on the top of a peak that overlooks all of Nago and the East China Sea. I couldn't help but notice God's creativity in making everyone so uniquely different and his magnificent beauty in nature. Amazing.



Jessica, Me & Aymara (she's got a bun in the oven :)



We got word that Mark is deploying in May, so we've decided to pack lots of fun stuff in before he goes. We have a lot planned for the next few months. My good friend Simone is coming to visit us next month and I'm so excited to see her! Then, in April, Mark's parents and brother are coming to visit us and we'll be traveling to Tokyo for a week to see the sights. We're super excited!!!

On a side note, for anyone who likes the sound of Ingrid Michaelson and/or Katie Herzig, I've discovered the new and improved style of Joy Williams. After taking some time off, she's come back with some great songs! So go check her out!

Until next time... don't forget what a great God we serve!

LJ